Project Runway Blog

Mondo Guerra Shares Story on How Heidi Klum Wore "The" Dress

When Heidi Klum wore the floor-length polka dot dress from his finale collection at a screening of the film "Black Swan" last month, Mondo Guerra's design instantly became red carpet legendary.

So how did this monumental fashion moment for the "Project Runway" runner-up come about, anyway? And who chose to cut those sleeves? (Michael Kors?) "Runway" fans set a record here on the blog with nearly 14 thousand votes to bring those sleeves back, and now we finally have all the answers from Mondo himself!

Lifetime: Heidi Klum wore your much-discussed polka-dot dress design on the red carpet. What’s the real story behind her choosing the dress and the modification of the sleeves?

Mondo Guerra: Heidi, Heidi, Heidi. I was in Los Angeles when she called and asked me, “Where’s my dress?” I did a fitting with her and was so scared because, if you remember the active-wear challenge from Episode 11, our first meeting in the workroom on the show didn't go down so well.

MG: But she told me that she was so hard on me because she believed in me and wanted to see me go to the finale. She added that, if she didn’t believe in my talent, she wouldn’t have been so critical. German tough love ... I understand it now! As for the modified sleeves, it was simply per the request of my client, Heidi Klum. She kept her word! Thank you, Heidi.

So there you have it! If you still want more Mondo (and who doesn't lately?), don't forget that you can still snag one of his limited edition tees for Piperlime for World AIDS Day), and can check out the rest of our Mondo interview about his Piperlime fashion collaboration on our All the Looks Insider blog.